The Psychiatric Trainees'
Committee

Welcome message from Dr Kate Milward, PTC Chair
(2016-2017)

Welcome to the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee
(PTC) webpages. My name is Kate Milward and I’m the PTC Chair for
2016 – 2017.

The PTC is composed of pre and post membership
trainees from across the UK. The details of your local
representatives can be
found here. You elect your regional representatives and our
primary role is to represent you within the College.

In addition to regional representatives we
have patient and carer representatives, a trainee representative
from the military and representatives from the
student associate programme.

The PTC advises the College on matters
affecting training and trainees. We are very fortunate to have a
College that takes trainees’ views seriously. A PTC representative
sits on and contributes to virtually all College committees. We
don’t just observe the work of College committees; we have an
active role influencing its work and policy.

As well as contributing to College committees,
the PTC conducts project work with the central aim of improving
training in psychiatry. In previous years the PTC has conducted and
contributed to a variety of projects including, but not limited
to:

- Considering the impact of a
potential exit exam, which was subsequently shelved

- Deciding how to utilise exam
surplus money, which consequently supported the development of
Trainees Online (TrOn).

- Supporting national and
international initiatives such as DocBate and MedFest

The last 18 months have been exceptionally
difficult for all Junior Doctors. The terms and conditions of the
junior doctor contract are beyond our remit. However, the PTC is
committed to doing what it can to improve the wellbeing of trainees
in psychiatry. Therefore over the next 12 months we will be
undertaking a national review of trainee morale and training,
titled ‘Supported and Valued’.

Furthermore, the PTC will continue project
work with the themes of engagement, recruitment, retention and
training. For example, we are conducting surveys on retention and
the variability of ARCP requirements across the country. We are
currently contributing to a project looking at improving Work Place
Based Assessments. We are also holding our first ever PTC
conference, ‘Return to Practice’.

You can keep up to date with the work of the
PTC by following us on
Facebook and Twitter. The PTC also
publishes the
Registrarmagazine. To be able to
represent you fairly, we need your views and feedback. Please get
in touch with your local representatives or contact me via ptcsupport@rcpsych.ac.uk

Finally, please consider standing for election
and joining the PTC. Being a PTC representative gives you the
opportunity to make a real difference to psychiatry training. It
will give you insight into the workings of the College and help you
develop new skills and interests. You will also get to meet and
work alongside enthusiastic and committed trainees from across the
country. Details on the election process can be found
here.

The Psychiatric Trainees' Committee is both worried and saddened
by the latest chapter in the
junior doctors' contract dispute.

We are acutely aware of the distress this situation causes for
both our patients and our colleagues, and would encourage trainees
to support each other, and utilise the Psychiatrists' Support Service for confidential
help during these very difficult times.

Whilst terms and conditions of the contract are beyond our
control, we recognise that there are many issues extending far
beyond this that have contributed to the situation we face. We are
committed to improving training, recruitment and retention within
psychiatry so that we may safeguard morale within and positivity
towards our specialty.

Our national morale review ‘Supported and Valued’ aims to
improve the training and working lives of all junior psychiatrists
and we would encourage all trainees to contact their local representatives and engage with their
local events to ensure we shape the future into the one you would
like to see.

Echoing the words of our president, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, “unhappy,
demotivated doctors, who no longer feel in control of their careers
or lives, deliver poorer care to patients” and we are unified in
our efforts to remain professional and overcome this.

Membership of the PTC

The Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee
(PTC) consists of 37 elected members, three from each Division
(the regional sub-groups that represent each area of England),
three from Wales, three from Northern Ireland, two from each of the
three Scottish regions and one from the armed forces. At least one
member per division must be a pre-membership psychiatric trainee.
There are also an additional 7 co-opted members, three for the
London Division, one Medical Student SA, one Foundation Doctor
SA, one Carer observer, and one Service User observer. The
immediate past PTC Chair and the Dean are ex-officio members.

Elections are held in half of the
Divisions every year, with members serving a two-year term with the
possibility of being re-elected for a further two years. The
committee meets at the College four times a year, including once
which is an annual meeting and induction meeting to welcome
the new committee members. The PTC often forms working groups of
four or five members in order to formulate ideas about particular
training issues. A Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary are elected
annually from within the PTC membership. Elections for Student
Associate Members occur every year, as these members serve a one
year term.

The Role of the PTC

The PTC sends a representative to
almost every committee in the College and the trainee
representatives do far more than observe the workings of these
committees, and take an active role in influencing College policy.
PTC representatives on other committees are elected annually from
within the PTC membership.

The PTC is represented at the
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges via the Academy Trainee Doctors’
Group, and at the BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee meetings.
Representatives of the PTC attend meetings of the European
Federation of Psychiatric Trainees and are involved in various
working groups looking at training issues across Europe.

AoMRC

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges' has
developed a Charter for Postgraduate Training, which
highlights the value of the Doctor in Training. The PTC have
representation on the Academy’s Trainee Doctor Group (ATDG) and
have been instrumental in the creation of this document.
Please take the time to read this and share the Charter with your
colleagues.

The AoMRC has been working with the College and the GMC to
develop more generic training to better suit the needs of
patients. The Shape of Training steering group has
prepared the following paper. Please take the time to read this and
share it with your colleagues.

PTC Elections

Each year elections will be held for half of the
Divisions. Elections shall be held for the North West,
Scottish, South East, Trent, Welsh, Ireland (North) and West
Midland Divisions in one year followed by elections for Eastern,
Northern and Yorkshire, London, and South West Divisions in
the following year.

2017 elections will be held for the following
divisions:

Eastern

Northern and Yorkshire

London

South West

Individuals elected will assume their role as PTC
representative at the Annual Meeting and Induction.

PTC Job Descriptions

Future PTC meeting dates

16 December (London)

All PTC Members are asked to note that it was agreed at the 2003
PTC's annual meeting and induction that members who fail to attend
two consecutive PTC meetings, and do not forward apologies to the
PTC Support, or find
an alternative attendee, should be voted off the PTC.

Annual Meeting and Induction dates:

The PTC have an annual meeting and induction which are held
on a rotating basis in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and
Wales.